Rwanda, Germany have a lot in common

Editor, RE: “Helios Theater: Telling the Rwandan and German genocide story” (The New Times, December 20). It was very interesting to read that Barbara Kolling, co-founder of Helios Theater of Germany, together with Anna-Sophia Zimniak, Steffen Moor and Erpho Bell have visited this beautiful ‘land of a thousand hills’ to explore the subject of the two histories of the Rwandan and German genocides, with a view to creating a joint stage production on the subject. While history might repeat itself, it must be “Never Again” when it comes to genocide. Partnerships are always the best way forward. But a partnership between two great nations, Rwanda and Germany, who have both suffered severe genocides in the past, will convey a firm resolve, not just to these two countries, but to the world at large that genocide can never serve any useful purpose. In Germany, it is already the “next generation”, since the genocide (the Holocaust that claimed the lives of 6 million Jews in Europe) there took place between 1941 and 1945. But in Rwanda, we still have amongst us both elderly people as well as youths who were directly affected by the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and, therefore, the pain is much greater and the memories of those dark days and the atrocities committed are still fresh in the minds of people. Clarence Fernandes

Opinions

Rwanda, Germany have a lot in common